Under My Skin
by asesina
Summary: An exploration of Damon's predatory fascination with Caroline. Chapters 1-4 are in Damon's POV in season 1; chapter 5 focuses on Vampire!Caroline in season 2.
1. welcome back

Under My Skin  by asesina

Disclaimer: I don't own TVD.

a/n: set in early season 1. Explores Damon's relationship with Caroline. This will not be mushy. In fact, Damon is almost predatory in this, because that is how he treated Caroline in season 1.

It was creepy and even borderline abusive, but I find their relationship to be fascinating.

I hope you like it!

-0-

There was something magnetic about Mystic Falls, Virginia.

Maybe it was the light, sweet summer air that enticed him, or maybe it was the innumerable public festivals that always seemed to bring hundreds of bright-eyed, naïve townspeople together.

Whatever it was, Damon Salvatore was unable to resist it.

He was lured in by the siren song of the gleeful, clueless townspeople that cheered fervently at high school football games and wept stormily at poorly-acted community plays.

Damon was captivated by their idiocy, by their apparent willingness to invite in any stranger for a piece of apple pie and a glass of milk on a summer afternoon.

He grinned to himself as he studied their mile-wide smiles and gullible hospitality.

Mystic Falls was going to be the perfect place for a comeback tour.

Damon could smell their blood. It was rich, well-fed, robust blood that truly characterized the earnest, hardworking Southern folk that inhabited Mystic Falls. Blood of this caliber was so hard to find in the big city, and Damon had stumbled upon a veritable goldmine.

He made no attempts to hide himself from the endlessly sunny streets of Mystic Falls. Instead, Damon winked and flirted. He stepped into cool, quiet Mom and Pop coffee shops and ordered espresso shots, and he spent hours sitting in the park under the innocuous guise of people-watching.

Damon's intent was far more sinister, naturally. He spent hours every day listening to snippets of conversation, picking up on people's schedules and patterns as he began to carefully formulate something resembling a game plan.

His plan came to a screeching halt when he saw _her_ moving through the park.

She wasn't really walking as much as she was bouncing, and she smiled to herself in such a vapidly girlish way that he couldn't resist watching her.

She was tall and blonde, but those weren't the only physical prerequisites of the teenage All-American beauty queen that she fulfilled.

She was also bubbly, well-dressed, and giggly, perhaps even annoyingly so.

There was no doubt about it.

Damon Salvatore was going to taste her blood, and then he was going to break her.


	2. hook, line and sinker

Under My Skin by asesina:

Chapter Two

Damon Salvatore had never really fancied himself to be any kind of amateur psychologist, but after one hundred and sixty years, he had gotten pretty darn good at reading people.

Blondie, as he affectionately began to call her, wasn't exactly an airhead.

In fact, she could be rather conniving and cheeky when she wanted to be.

However, Damon noticed that she was rather aware of his lingering gaze, and he instantly pegged her as an insecure beauty queen who would do anything for attention or approval.

When he flashed her a grin at the Mystic Grill, he almost laughed at how predictable her response was. She smiled back and fluttered her fingers in a shy, tentative wave, and she was his for the taking.

Even though he hadn't really been 23 for over a hundred years, Damon found it incredibly easy to slip back into his smooth-talking, mysterious bad boy persona.

He leaned on the bar and studied Blondie's sly smile and heavy-lidded gaze.

No compulsion necessary, he noted proudly.

Damon noticed the way that she twirled a wayward blond curl between her long, thin fingers, and he was instantly consumed with an unquenchable desire to destroy her.

She was entirely too cute, too perky, and too happy.

However, luckily for Damon, she was also extremely willing to chat up older men at the local bar/grill, and she was falling right into his trap.

"Damon, is it?" she murmured dreamily.

"Don't wear it out," Damon said with a wry grin.

"I'm so glad to finally meet a guy who isn't interested in one of my friends. You're so much older, too. We should hang out," she added with a wink.

"Sounds like a great idea, but what would your parents think?" Damon replied with a false sense of decency.

"My mom is _never_ home. She's the sheriff," Blondie added as she twirled the straw in her diet Sprite absentmindedly.

"Well, I will see you later, then," he said with a wink.

"What was your name again?" Damon asked suddenly.

"Caroline. Don't wear it out," she said as she flashed him a pearly grin.

"So, is eight ok?" she said in a low voice.

"Only if you're okay with it being a school night," Damon said with feigned concern.

"Oh, please. I'm up all night!" Caroline exclaimed.

There it was again. Damon smirked at her constant need to impress him. He nodded and gave Caroline a winning smile to seal the deal.

"Okay! I'll see you later," she purred. Damon choked back a laugh as he downed the last of his scotch and waved good bye to Blondie.

"_Caroline_," he corrected.

He couldn't wait to hear that sweet voice begging him not to kill her.


	3. walkin' on sunshine

Under My Skin by asesina

Chapter Three

Damon went a few days without seeing Blondie again.

Then, like magic, she appeared in the park, all sunny and happy with that rah-rah exuberance that blonde teenage cheerleaders have.

In a way, she was a bit like the chemical element helium. Her natural state was flighty and airy, much like the light, gaseous elements that floated above the rest of the periodic table with carefree abandon.

He wanted to stalk her and terrorize her, to watch the bright pink smile fall from her face as she fell face-first into a pool of her own blood.

Damon reminded himself that patience was a virtue as he watched Caroline walk arm-in-arm with that tiny little brunette that was always giving him dirty looks.

What the hell was with her, anyway?

He shrugged unconsciously and leaned back on the park bench, lying in wait for Barbie to walk past him and notice his intense, uninterrupted stare.

It only took a moment. Damon's head was turned skyward when he heard a sharp, sudden inhalation followed by a gleeful gasp.

"Damon, what are you doing here?" Caroline asked excitedly.

"Not much. Good timing, though," he said nonchalantly.

"I'll catch up with you later, Bonnie," Caroline said quickly.

She was willing to dump her friends for him, Damon noted.

Perfect.

"I've been looking for you, Damon! How come you didn't show up a few nights ago?" Caroline asked with an exaggerated pout.

Damon resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Family drama," he said slowly, sighing as he patted the bench and motioned for her to sit down.

"Can you come over tonight?" Caroline asked expectantly.

"Depends. What did you have in mind?" Damon asked with a sly grin.

"You'll have to come over and find out," Caroline purred in a low voice.

Damon sighed in annoyance and looked Caroline square in the eyes. He regarded her with a sharp gaze for several seconds and watched as Caroline's pupils were just the slightest bit dilated.

"Tell me what you're planning," he commanded.

"I want to let you go all the way," Caroline murmured.

"Sounds great," Damon said with a grin. He clapped Caroline on the shoulder and she was immediately released from her reverie.

"Okay! See ya tonight!" Caroline said brightly. She stood up and straightened her sundress as Damon watched her leave.

He could hear the blood pumping through her veins, young and energetic and frenetic.

It was exactly what he expected from a cheerleader, and he couldn't wait to taste her.


	4. nectar and ambrosia

Under My Skin by asesina

Chapter Four

Caroline's house was exactly like Damon imagined it would be.

It was full of sunlight. Even the damn walls were painted bright yellow, and there were fresh flowers in vases on almost every surface in the house.

The whole place was chock full of life and joy and energy, and Damon couldn't think of a more perfect place to deflower a peppy, all-American cheerleader.

Caroline was all too willing to lead Damon up to her bedroom, chatting all the while about ex-boyfriends and how the last guy who had actually been in her room was actually a _total_ jackass that Caroline didn't even talk to any more.

Damon rewarded her gossip with a quick, crushing kiss to the lips. He pulled her violently against him, feeling a surge of pride and strength course through his undead veins as she tried to pull away from his iron-strong grip.

Humans were so damn weak.

"Damon, you're hurting me!" Caroline protested. Her cries were muffled by yet another violent, predatory kiss as Damon grabbed a fistful of hair and pulled her so close to him that their foreheads were touching.

"What did you want to show me tonight, Caroline?" Damon asked in a low, dangerous voice.

"I- I wanted to start off slow, Damon," Caroline faltered. She tried to pull away from the dark-haired man, but he smirked mercilessly against her ear.

"Caroline, I know what you want. I know what you _need_," Damon whispered as he lowered his lips to her neck.

He could feel Caroline's hair beginning to stand on end as he let out a low, guttural laugh and let his fangs scrape the soft skin of her neck.

"Just close your eyes, Caroline. This will all be over soon," Damon purred.

He felt Caroline thrashing in his arms like a fish out of water.

"Don't act like you didn't want me to do this," Damon hissed. He bit down hard on her neck and felt the blood pooling around his teeth.

Caroline's screams pierced the night air, and Damon couldn't help but grin as he knotted his hands in her hair and drank from her steadily-bleeding wound.

Maybe staying in Mystic Falls wouldn't be so bad after all.


	5. watch out boy, she'll chew you up

Under My Skin  by asesina

Chapter Five

a/n: Thanks for the reviews. This chapter will be a quick little foray into Caroline's life after she becomes a vampire and confronts Damon. This will contain a different version of their confrontation. I did like their scene in "Brave New World", but this is my own little spin on things. I hope you like it!

-0-

Damon Salvatore stalked through the halls of Mystic Falls High, moving in an unerringly straight line. Everything about his gait was smooth and precise, with all the grace and fluidity of a living, breathing shadow.

Even though he was extremely capable of moving down the hall in the blink of an eye, Damon preferred feeling the solidness of the tiles beneath his feet.

Any vampire could shoot down an empty hallway at supernatural speed, but it took a certain kind of control to master the deadly gracefulness of his gait. Damon was quite proud of his ability to master yet another skill that separated him from the pathetic, fragile nature of the humans around him.

Damon imagined the school during the lunch rush hour. He could practically hear the high-pitched chatter of the flighty cheerleaders and the low, inane rumblings from the jocks as they milled about and tried to impress each other.

Damon had to stifle a laugh at the rather pathetic thought of the average teenager's mating ritual. They would gloat over little things, like who had the most touchdowns or the best tan, and all the while, he, Damon Salvatore, was just watching from the sidelines, completely and utterly capable of killing any of them in a heartbeat.

He hadn't hunted a human in a while.

Damon frowned in disappointment and sighed. He was going soft, and he placed the blame squarely on Stefan and Elena. Their nauseating optimism and romance novel stares were enough to drive him insane.

As he turned around a corner, Damon heard the slightest noise behind him.

He paused, lowering a tentative foot to the ground as he slowed his gait and came to a stop.

Maybe he wouldn't have to wait too long to hunt a human after all.

Damon grinned at the prospect as he felt his fangs beginning to descend.

"Come on out, sweetie," he coaxed.

He instantly pegged the mysterious stranger as a female, primarily because he didn't know too many men who wore stilettos.

He could also smell the slightest hint of juniper breeze body lotion in the air, and he _definitely_ didn't know any men who wore Bath and Body Works.

"Are you lost? I can help you find your way back to the carnival," he offered. Damon was pleased to hear the staccato _click clack click _of the stilettos heading in his direction.

"I'm over by the gym!" Damon called. He waited for the steps to come closer and closer.

All the while, he was formulating a plan, envisioning the terrified look on the girl's face as she stared into his eyes and emitted one last blood-curdling scream.

"Damon?"

Damon whirled around and found himself face to face with Caroline.

A sly smile spread across his face.

"Hey, Blondie," he drawled. Caroline offered a bright smile and stepped a little closer to him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked casually.

"Not much. I was just dragged here by Scrappy Doo and his girlfriend," Damon explained as he rolled his eyes.

"Scrappy Doo?" she asked with a giggle.

"Stefan. You know, he loves when people call him that," Damon said with a wink.

"Damon, would you walk me outside?" Caroline asked suddenly.

Damon raised an eyebrow.

"What, are you scared of the dark now, Blondie?" he teased. Caroline folded her arms across her chest and pouted.

"No, but I'm kind of freaked out. I've been remembering things lately," she said vaguely.

"What kinds of things?" Damon pressed.

"Nothing. I mean, I feel like I've had these really realistic nightmares, but… Nah, you wouldn't believe me," she trailed off.

"Come on, Caroline. Spill the beans," Damon urged.

"No. It's dumb," Caroline said sheepishly.

Damon put a hand on her shoulder and stared deeply into her eyes. His pupils locked on to hers as he initiated the compulsion and said firmly,

"Tell me what you remember."

"Are you freaking _kidding_ me?" Caroline asked with a laugh. She scoffed and brushed Damon's arm off her shoulder.

"Caroline, do as I say. Tell me what is bothering you," he said sharply.

Caroline stifled a giggle.

"It's _not_ going to work, vampire boy," she growled. Caroline grabbed Damon by the shoulders and threw him forcefully down the hall. He skidded to a stop right in front of the school's trophy case.

"How did you-," Damon began. He jumped to his feet, but Caroline was already in front of him. He felt her iron-strong grip through his leather jacket as her fingers dug into his forearm.

"Don't even try that mind control shit on me anymore, Damon," Caroline hissed.

"I remember all of it, and this time, you can't wave a magic wand and make me forget," she added.

Damon glared back at her and shook her arm away.

"No reason to get all out of control, Blondie. You're still weak. You can't handle being a vampire," Damon sneered.

"Weak?" Caroline scoffed. She pinned Damon against a locker and leaned in close. She could feel his breath on her face as she lowered her lips to his ear.

"I remember how you used to talk to me like this, Damon. I'm not going to put up with your shit. If you come after me or any of my friends, I will destroy you," she growled.

Damon regarded her with a mixture of annoyance and pride.

She really was becoming more like him.

"I don't have time for this," Damon said with a sigh. He pushed Caroline off him and turned to walk away.

"That's right, Damon. Walk away," Caroline taunted.

In an instant, Damon was facing her again, but this time, his hand was around her throat, and she was the one shoved up against a locker.

"Don't pull that shit with me again, Barbie. Vampire or not, I can still kill you. Remember, I'm a vampire too. I know what makes us weak," Damon said coldly.

"Your intimidation games won't work anymore, Damon," Caroline said angrily. She shoved Damon away from her and turned on her heels to leave.

"Don't mess with me, Damon!" Caroline said in a sweet voice. She waved goodbye and turned with a flourish as the sound of her stilettos echoed through the halls.

Damon rubbed his arm where Caroline had scratched him earlier. To his surprise, the skin was still a little painful.

The pain was very dull and almost nonexistent, but it was still there.

More than anything else, it was annoying.

With all of the werewolves in town, Vampire Barbie was the least of his worries.

He would take care of her later on.

In the meantime, he would have to deal with Blondie's new set of fangs and super action grip.

And, even if she would prove to be an annoyance, Damon had to admit that he she was a little more tolerable as a vampire.

End.


End file.
